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AP Technology NewsBrief at 1:03 a.m. EDT(AP Online Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) AP sources give inside look at Microsoft's raised Yahoo bidSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Just how serious was Microsoft Corp. about raising its bid to $47.5 billion for slumping Internet pioneer Yahoo Inc.? The answer is taking on greater importance as more outraged Yahoo shareholders threaten to sue the company's board _ or try replacing the 10 directors _ for the way they responded to Microsoft's sweetened offer. UMG confirms deal with Qtrax to allow free music downloadsSAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) _ Universal Music Group confirmed Tuesday that it has reached a deal with file-sharing site Qtrax to allow free, legal downloads of UMG music. Qtrax announced in January that it had the backing of"all the major labels" to distribute music free online, generating revenue with ads. But New York-based Warner Music Group Corp., said it had not authorized the use of its content on Qtrax's service. UMG and EMI Group PLC also said at the time they did not have licensing deals in place with Qtrax. Person close to talks: Sprint close to WiMax financing dealPHILADELPHIA (AP) _ Sprint Nextel Corp. is close to finalizing a deal to get financing for its new wireless broadband network from a group that includes Comcast Corp. and Google Inc., according to a person close to the talks. The group, which also includes Time Warner Cable Inc., Bright House Networks, Intel Corp., and Clearwire Corp., is expected to announce as early as Wednesday morning a $12 billion deal to create a national network that uses the WiMax technology, said the person, who asked not to be named because public release of details hasn't been authorized. Yahoo board may face shareholder mutiny at annual meetingSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ After fending off months of threats by Microsoft Corp., Yahoo Inc.'s directors still will have to fight for their jobs as the company's own irate shareholders plot a mutiny. Spurred by widespread criticism about how Yahoo's board responded to Microsoft's sweetened takeover offer of $47.5 billion, an activist shareholder is trying to recruit an alternate slate of directors to present at Yahoo's annual meeting on July 3. Neil Young to release archive on Blu-ray discsSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Rocker Neil Young plans to release his entire music archive on Blu-ray discs, a sign that the discs' capabilities are building appeal among musicians as well as movie studios. Blu-ray discs hold much more data than DVDs, are easily updated over the Internet and offer better picture and sound quality. Cisco 3Q profit beats views, shares riseSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ After seeing Cisco Systems Inc.'s market value plunge $50 billion over the past six months, investors were relieved that the networking equipment maker managed to weather U.S. economic turbulence better than expected in its fiscal third quarter. The company reported third-quarter profit Tuesday that beat analyst forecasts by 2 cents per share, and it offered fourth-quarter sales guidance in line with Wall Street's projections. Microsoft's Bill Gates talks tech, Web in South KoreaSEOUL, South Korea (AP) _ Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates, traveling through Asia, met Tuesday with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and championed his vision of the future of high tech and the Internet. "We're approaching the second decade of (the) digital age," Gates told Lee at the start of their meeting at the presidential Blue House, according to a media pool report. Colbert, will.i.am among special Webby award recipientsNEW YORK (AP) _ Stephen Colbert's use of the Internet to connect with fans earned the Comedy Central host special recognition as recipients of the annual Webby awards for Web sites and online achievements were announced Tuesday. A special achievement award also went to will.i.am, the Black Eyed Peas frontman behind the popular "Yes We Can" video supporting presidential candidate Barack Obama. And movie director Michel Gondry won a special mention for encouraging filmmakers around the world to recreate their favorite movies _ the concept behind his film "Be Kind Rewind" _ and share them online. Yahoo teams with McAfee to offer search results securitySAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ Yahoo Inc. and McAfee Inc. are joining to offer alerts about potentially dangerous Web sites alongside search results generated at Yahoo.com. With the new security feature _ slated to take effect Tuesday _ people who search the Internet using Yahoo will see a red exclamation point and a warning next to links McAfee has identified as serving dangerous downloads or using visitors' e-mail addresses to send out spam. Collapse Yahoo talks leaves advertisers with less leverageNEW YORK (AP) _ The collapse of Microsoft Corp.'s pursuit of Yahoo Inc. is leaving advertisers pining for other ways to reach mass audiences on the Web and to counteract Google Inc.'s dominance of the online ad market. Advertisers can still distribute ads across smaller Web sites through networks that all major Internet companies run, but such an approach doesn't have the same appeal as reaching Yahoo's massive audience all in one place, something that would have been even more compelling once Microsoft's Web sites were thrown in, too. Copyright ? 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |